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Strategic Planning Workshop of Eastern Cape Education Department
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Speeches and Media Releases
 Education

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EASTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT

OPENING ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE MEC FOR EDUCATION : MR STONE SIZANI

ON THE OCCASION OF THE STRATEGIC PLANNING WORKSHOP OF THE EASTERN CAPE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AT MPEKWENI SUN

30 JULY TO 1 AUGUST 2000

At the advent of the new order in our country, filled with a new hope, and led by a new vision, the department assumed the unenviable 
mission of recreating and restoring faith in an education system in which everyone, learner and teacher alike, had lost hope. Like the 
legendary phoenix, a new order in Education, founded on the democratic values enshrined in a new and democratic Constitution, had to "rise 
from the ashes", and in the process, convince our people, that there is still value in the pursuit of education, both formal and non 
formal, including Adult Basic Education. These are all enshrined in the country's Constitution.

Viewed against both the inequities and the iniquity the erstwhile system of differentiated education, the level of organizational 
fragmentation, and the firmly entrenched attitudes of individuals from different backgrounds and dispositions, the challenge was immense.As 
a department, we were not alone in confronting these challenges. The National Ministry of education led the charge in creating a policy 
framework to guide educational transformation. This framework is at the core of our educational development efforts in the Eastern Cape. 
The magnitude of the task of transforming a well - planned and properly engineered system of inequality could never have been an easy one, 
and that is what we had to accept from the beginning.

In the previous five years, Chair, it is a fact that we have had both successes and failures; we have accomplished quite a lot, given the 
particular circumstances in which we found education. We have had to confront many a stumbling block and, we have to admit, colleagues, 
that what the National Minister has said about the dysfunctionality of Education in our country is, to a great extent, the truth. All will 
agree with me that the task ahead of us, on our path to the new millennium, is not light by any measure. because we are still strapped with 
significant problems to be overcome

We can say, with some pride that, if we wanted to beg a modicum of immodesty, there are a small number of little accomplishments that we 
can boast as a Department. We must admit though, that the challenges that still face us, loom much larger, in comparison with the little 
mounds of success that we can boast.

We have managed to merge six erstwhile Departments of Education in our province. Chair we have established a few functional SGBs. We are on 
our way with our transformation agenda. It is not fully implemented as yet, but we do have a new organisational structure, which, I 
believe, is not the product of cold and mechanical bureaucracy, but is rather the result of a consultative process at all levels.

We have a number of Donor - funded interventionist programmes whose resounding success has served to instill new confidence in our 
educational endevours. Such projects are a resounding testimony to our resolve to make education work in this province.

However, we have, even within this short space of time, gone through some dry patches.

The implementation of Curriculum 2005 has not been without problems. While we can safely say that we have managed to implement the new 
curriculum at the required pace, we cannot, I do not think, confidently declare that our teachers are fully equipped to handle the changes 
that have come with the new approach. We could never say, either, that our budgets were able to do for us all that we could have wished 
for. If they could, the matter of classrooms that are not fit for human habitation would be but a thing of the past, a myth. It is not at 
the moment, but is rather a reality that shocks us in its starkness each time we move out of our protected zones to the rural areas of our 
province, to see learners share rooms with animals sometimes !

The current exercise of teacher redeployment is but one test whose results we are convinced. will bring a new view to the need for a 
balancing act in the allocation of our limited resources, both human and financial. This is but a peephole view of the magnitude of the 
task of education in this province. However, my view is that, if we want to even prepare ourselves for the advent of the new millennium, 
with its demands, it is now incumbent on us to make :

A new beginning

Colleagues, it is in my view, a beautiful coincidence, carved out by Providence, that, in the same week that we had planned for our 
strategic planning workshop, in that same week, the National Minister announces his list of nine priorities for Education in our country. I 
entreat us all, to use that document as the background to our deliberations this weekend. I have asked for copies of the full text to be 
made available. If you do not as yet have copies, please speak to the organisers. What an opportune moment for us to reflect as a team on 
what will be our beacons for the next five years.

The recent elections and the confidence with which the masses of our people have given us a new mandate to govern, has forced us to shift 
into a new mode in our resolve to work together in delivering our promise of a better life for all. That resolve compels us all to focus 
anew, to renew our efforts at reconstruction in our country.This phase compels us to consolidate our gains and confront our problems with a 
new determination. It offers us the opportunity to collectively decide what we shall become, as well as the space to collectively commit to 
the effort needed to get there.We are at the doorway of something exciting and wonderful in Education in the Eastern Cape and it is our 
readiness and will to achieve, that will grant us passage to the grand future that is ours.This event is our first step.It is here that we 
shall begin to conceive what we shall be, where we shall go and how we shall get there.It is you who will begin to collectively craft our 
future.

My purpose here today is to proffer some ideas which can somewhat serve as a springboard in your deliberations over the next day and a 
half.To the extent that I can, I wish to share what I believe to be the key considerations for our Department's reconstruction, renewal and 
transformation. From the time that I took on the unenviable task of guiding the ship of Education in this our province, I have sought to 
understand the visions, plans, the problems issues, and the day to day operations and challenges that you have all had to grapple with, 
year in and year out.I have visited many of your regions and districts and have asked many questions, received a vast array of input and 
shared many ideas.It is with this backdrop of information that I come before you to share what I believe to be the pillars of Departmental 
transformation which could constitute our five-year agenda for development.

I propose to share with you, first, what I believe to be at the core of this renewal, and then to subsequently outline what I am proposing 
to call the 12 pillars of reconstruction and renewal which could be the basis of an agenda for action, and which could inform the 
identification of core objectives for the Department's strategic plan.

Renewal starts with us.We, the people in the Department must be masters of our fate.Unless we accept the challenge of change, and unless we 
commit ourselves in our hearts to the efforts we must undertake to enhance our structure and services, we will not be renewed and we will 
not transform.

Strategic Planning can be viewed as a vehicle for our Departmental Development. The latter requires the following :

* Our collective understanding of who we are and where we are at this particular juncture
* Our collective acceptance of the imperative to renew and transform
* Our collective focus on collectively established goals and objectives
* Our collective desire, hope, courage, effort and will
* Our collective acceptance of our shared responsibility and our individual commitment to contribute and make an impact where we are 
assigned, and finally,
* A culture of teamwork, unity and organisational synergy which will bind us into a common purpose of quality service to the public.

No one person, one directorate, one region or one district will single-handedly transform education.We must all envision, commit and act 
together.

Allow me then, to reinforce the point that, unless we transform ourselves, we cannot hope to transform education and meet out obligations 
to the public and to our clients in schools.Renewal and Development start with us. We therefore constitute the core of Departmental 
renewal.

The 12 Pillars of reconstruction and renewal

1.Focus on teaching and learning in schools

* All functions in the Department exist in support of teaching and learning in schools
* There arises a need therefore, for us to reflect on whether or not we are adequately structured to support that teaching and learning
* To ensure that teaching and learning in schools are enhanced and supported we may have to:
* reprioritise the allocation of resources
* reconsider the locus of authority and responsibility for decisions on school based activities and issues
* strengthen curriculum practice and curriculum support structures and processes
* Exert greater effort in fostering a bond between the school and the community through community and parent involvement and through 
exposing learners to the resources in their communities and involving the school in community activities, e.g. community service projects
* Enhance the administrative capacity in schools to promote the development of the school in all its fullness and richness
* Enhance facilities for learner welfare and support so that learners can be well rounded and groomed in the school as a nurturing 
environment for their welfare, growth and development.
* Ensure the competence, welfare and support of our teachers.
* Forge responsible and vibrant school and classroom cultures

2.Effective management of all the Departments resources - financial, human, material and physical - to maximise their use and their 
contribution to attaining the Departments objectives

In an environment of scarce and declining resources we must ensure that structures and systems are in place to maximize the use of our 
resources. Following are some points for our consideration:

* We shall have to link planning and budgeting
* Periodically we shall have to determine our priorities for spending and revise them when necessary
* There is a need to establish administrative systems that ensure efficiency and prevent abuse
* We have to instill a culture of efficiency among our personnel so that resources are responsibly used.
* We must establish monitoring systems to ensure that our spending is linked to our priorities, plans and budgets.
* We must review how resources are allocated and deployed so that corrective measures can be taken when resources are underutilized.

3.Fulfilling professional lives for Departmental personnel

* People must be happy to come to work. Essentially this entails a healthy working environment, in all the senses of the word "healthy".
* When people get to work they must feel that they have the opportunity to use their capacity creatively in making real contributions to 
the Department's development
* We must provide opportunities for people to grow, for them to be challenged, and their contribution valued

4.Organizational structures, systems and processes which are effective in serving the policies, priorities and core objectives of the 
Department.

* Questions are raised about the extent to which we are properly organised to achieve our objectives
* Structurally, there are organisational gaps and bottlenecks between the provincial office and the schools.
* Some people are overworked because of a lack of staff,while others sit with nothing to do
* Personnel are sometimes not clear about the scope and content of their responsibilities.
* Sometimes we may need to create temporary structures with the temporary assignment of personnel in teams, to deal with critical issues 
which need immediate attention.

5.A caring culture of service and a visible commitment to meeting our public responsibility to provide quality education to the citizens of 
the province.

* Every matter, no matter how small we consider it to be, should be handled in the spirit of service.We are the servants of the people and 
we need to prove to the public our commitment to both Batho Pele, and Faranani.
* Training in customer care is undoubtedly a necessary ingredient for our success
* Administrative matters must be handled with respect.Extended processing time for administrative matters is a sign of disregard and 
disrespect.We must be able to respond in a knowledgeable and timely manner.

6.Full participation of communities in the education of their children and participation of Education Stakeholders in policy decisions

* Strong linkages with the community promote accountability and effectiveness in education and thereby enhance the quality of educational 
services, as well asinfuse a sense of ownership among all who claim a stake in education
* The much - bandied notion of transparency, must be a reality in our whole operation. Coupled with it should be the sister notions of 
accountability and participatory decision - making. These notwithstanding, our machinery must never be allowed to slow down because we have 
been slow in consulting.

7.A focus on core objectives and key policy priorities

* Our time and resources are limited, and therefore we can never be able to do all that we want to do.
* We must establish our priorities, identify our core objectives and select a limited set of critical issues to be handled, and handle 
those perfectly well
* We have to guard against spreading ourselves too thinly, for if we do, we run the risk of fragmented efforts, which can result in 
retarded progress and frustration
* Our current mode of crisis management is a malady that we need to avoid or at least evolve strategies for coming out of for, it will, no 
doubt blur our strategic development agenda
* We must be masters of our fate by focusing our efforts and resources on critical objectives and issues

8.Clear allocation of roles, functions, responsibilities and authority so that all can be held accountable for the educational and 
administrative contributions they are expected to make

* Roles, functions and responsibilities should be clearly defined for administrative units as well as for individuals
* These should be collectively endorsed and understood to promote inter directorate and cross-functional communication and action.
* Better support, more authority and more resources should be given to individuals and units, and more accountability must be expected in 
return.

9.Establishing systems of planning and reporting for all sections and work functions of the Department (including schools) to foster a more 
responsible approach in meeting the objectives and priorities of the Department

* Our approach to our responsibilities should be planned, deliberate and responsible.
* We should periodically propose what we are going to do to accomplish our responsibilities and report at the end of the period on our 
accomplishments
* This should be done at all levels of the Departments administration - from chief directorates to schools
* Leaders should lead - they must provide vision, motivation, empowerment, support and administrative structures so that people can act.
* Each school must periodically report to its school community
* District offices must call meetings with stakeholders to report on the state of education in the District (Stakeholders include trade 
unions, Business organisations, civic organisations, churches, traditional leaders, etc.)

10.Establishing a comprehensive system of Human Resource Development as a basis for enabling all Departmental personnel to fully meet their 
assigned responsibilities and as an instrument for fosteringa culture of continued learning and growth as we face the challenges of 
transformation and renewal

* We must have a cohesive, programmaticcomprehensive and ongoing programme of HRD.
* All managers should take responsibility to develop their personnel
* Personnel should acquire the will and commitment to develop themselves
* A culture of learning should be established where we learn from our peers and where we can become excited about our individual growth and 
contribution.

11.Shifting resources and authority closer to the schools

* to enhance the appropriateness and timeliness of decisions affecting schools,
* to improve the level of administrative efficiency and
* to allow our managers who are closer to the schools to creatively use their wisdom and experience to solve problems affecting teaching 
and learning
* Decisions should be made and action taken closer to the points of delivery

12.Establishing a comprehensive and cohesive framework of policy guidelines so that all departmental personnel become fully aware of the 
array of policies which govern their actions and become fully sensitive to policy needs and gaps which should be filled.

* In the process of transformation we can become confused about what is expected - things keep changing, the goalposts keep shifting, 
frameworks become complex and sometimes conflicting and inconsistent
* Policies (laws and regulations) should be made clearer so that they can be understood and implemented
* Standards of performance should be governed by policy expectations  and they should be clear and unambiguous

In the process of renewal there will be policy gaps and inconsistencies. We must be sensitive to our responsibility as policymakers; we 
must put the guidelines in place to make systems work.We cannot always wait for this to be done for us.We must embrace the challenge of 
change and establish the policy structures which will guide, foster and sustain a balanced and well grounded process of educational 
development.

Conclusion

Colleagues, it is my fervent wish that the ideas that I have shared here with you, will to a large extent be taken into consideration in 
this workshop. We do not want the results of such an important exercise to become material for the shelves in our offices. Rather, what 
will be an important outcome of the workshop for me, is an implementation plan, that translates the talk into chunks of implementable 
action, fixed to specific as well as realistic time  frames. Let us then engage in this exercise, fully conditioned to make education work 
in this province. If we make a good start. And I am sure we can with a team such as yourselves, the future will be all the brighter for our 
children.

I thank you

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